Impact clam extractor

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus of extracting the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;belly&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; of a marine mullusk such as a clam from the remainder of the clam meat after the clam has been shucked and including the utilization and provision of an impact surface upon which the whole clam meat including the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;belly&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; is directed at high speed for impact along a path disposed substantially normal to the impact surface. A first form of impact surface utilized in the instant invention comprises an imperforate rigid surface and a second form of impact surface utilized in the instant invention comprises an expanded metal panel. The whole clam bodies directed upon the impact surface are conveyed thereto in a high speed fluid jet defined either by a high speed column of liquid such as water or a high speed column of gas such as air and the high speed impact of the whole clam meat results in the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;belly&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; of the clam being partially broken up and separated from the remainder of the clam body.

Carlson 1 Sept. 5, 1972 [54] IMPACT CLAM EXTRACTOR [72] Inventor: Hamid C. Carlson, 8806 Pacific Ave., Wildwood Crest, NJ. 08260 22 Filed: Aug. 27, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 67,531

[52] US. Cl ..l7/53, 17/51 [51] Int. Cl ..A22c 29/00 [58] Field of Search ..l7/48, 51, 52, 53

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,129,456 4/1964 Renfroe ..l7/52 3,156,948 11/1964 Polito ..l7/5l Primary Examiner-Lucie H; Laudenslager Att0meyClarence A. OBrien and Harvey B. Jacobson 57 ABSTRACT A method and apparatus of extracting the belly of a marine mullusk such as a clam from the remainder of the clam meat after the clam has been shucked and including the utilization and provision of an impact surface upon which the whole clam meat including the belly is directed at high speed for impact along a path disposed substantially normal to the impact surface. A first form of impact surface utilized in the instant invention comprises an imperforate rigid surface and a second form of impact surface utilized in the instant invention comprises an expanded metal panel. The whole clam bodies directed uponthe impact surface are conveyed thereto in a highspeed fluid jet defined either by a high speed column of liquid such as water or a high speed column of gas such as air and the high speed impact of the whole clam meat results in the belly of the clam being partially broken up and separated from the remainder of the clam body.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing figum PATENTEDsEP 51912 3.688. 344

saw a or 2 Fig. 3

Harold C. Car/son IMPACT CLAM EXTRACTOR In preparing surf clams for canning one portion of the clam, generally referred to as the belly has been found to cause premature spoilage if canned with the remainder of the clam meat. The present practice to avoid this premature spoilage has involved the use of hand labor in order to separate the belly from the remainder of the clam meat. This is of course an expensive and time-consuming process and requires that the operators of canneries rely upon a segment of the labor force which is somewhat unreliable.

Sea clams are dredged from the ocean bottom with specially constructed dredges and after delivery to the cannery the clams are either manually or mechanically shucked. After being shucked the calm meats are then normally washed in water to rid them of sand and after the washing step has been completed the manual task of removing the belly from the remainder of the clam meat is carried out. The clean meats are then subjected to a final wash which removes any remaining sand particles or other foreign matter and thereafter the clam meats are either kept whole or ground or chopped and placed in suitable containers.

Due to the present requirement for large quantities of manual labor in order to remove the bellies from the remainder of the clam meats, the cost of production of canned clams is excessive and increases in labor costs for the hand labor required to remove the bellies" has rendered it most difficult to process clams by present methods and still return a profit.

It is accordingly the main object of this invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for extracting the bellies from clam meats at a savings in cost while at least maintaining the present quality of clams which have been canned by using the manual process of removing the clam bellies.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for extracting the bellies from the remainder of clam meats with a substantial reduction in labor required to extract the bellies".

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a novel method and apparatus of extracting bellies from the remainder of clam meats and which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble-free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a clam meat extracting apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the assemblage illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing through the longitudinal centerline 33 of the structure illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by section line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and with a portion of the expanded metal impact surface being broken away;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing through the lower central portion of the expanded metal impact member illustrated in FIG. 4 and with a clam impacted with the impact surface and having its belly portion passed through the expanded metal impact surface.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 generally designates the impact clam bel- 1y extractor of the instant invention. The extractor 10 includes an elongated tube 12 having an inlet end 14 and an outlet end 16. The tube 12 is generally horizontally disposed, although it may be inclined or vertically disposed, and is supported at its opposite end portions by means of a pair of standards 18 and 20 supported from a suitable support surface 22.

The inlet end 14 of the tube 12 has an upturned elbow 24 secured therein and the upwardly opening end 26 of the elbow 24 has an inlet funnel 28 secured thereto. The funnel 28 opens upwardly at its major diameter end portion and downwardly into the elbow 24 at its minor diameter end portion.

A high pressure fluid inlet pipe 30 has its outlet end secured through the wall portion 34 through which the center axis of the tube 12 extends and the fluid inlet pipe 30 is coaxial with the tube 12 and opens in a downstream direction therealong.

A housing referred to in general by the reference numeral 36 is supported from the outlet end 16 of the tube 12 and includes front and rear wall portions 38 and 40, opposite side wall portions 42 and 44 interconnected between corresponding side edges of the front and rear walls 38 and 40 and a top wall 46 extending between the upper marginal edge portions of the walls 38, 40, 42 and 44. The top wall 46 includes a transverse slot 48 and an electric motor 50 is supported from the forward portion of the top wall 46 and includes an output shaft portion 52 upon which a disk 54 is mounted. The disk 54 is circular and disposed concentric relative to the output shaft portion 52. Further, the disk 54 is constructed of a panel of expanded metal and includes an outer peripheral continuous band portion 56.

The housing 36 includes front and rear partial bottom wall portions 56 and 58 which are slightly downwardly inclined toward their front and rear edge portions, respectively, and terminate in downturned wall portions 56' and 58' so as to define a pair of downwardly opening outlet throats 60 and 62 between the front wall 38 and the wall portion 56 and the rear wall 40 and the wall portion 58, the outlet throats 60 and 62 extending between the side walls 42 and 44. The housing 36 further includes an inner upstanding transverse partition 64 which extends upwardly from the marginal edge portion of the partial bottom wall 56 ad jacent the partial bottom wall 58 to the top wall 46. The partition 64 has a centrally disposed square opening 66 formed therein in registry with and spaced slightly downstream from the outlet end 16. The disk 54 has its lower peripheral portion received downwardly through the slot 48 and the lower peripheral portion of the disk 54 is disposed closely behind the partition 64. Also, the lower peripheral portion of the disk 54 closes the rear end of the opening 66.

A receptacle 68 is disposed beneath the housing 36 and includes a central transverse partition 70 dividing the interior of the receptacle 68 into two areas with a first area thereof disposed beneath the outlet throat 60 and a second area thereof disposed beneath the outlet throat 62. Of course, the motor 50 is operative to rotate the disk 54 and it may be seen from FIG. 5 of the drawings that the disk 54 comprises a forarninated panel, preferably constructed of expanded metal.

In operation, a high speed jet of gas such as air or liquid such as water is discharged from the pipe 30 through the wall portion 34 of the elbow 24 and down the tube 12 toward the outlet end 16 thereof. Shucked and washed clams are successively dropped into the funnel 28 and are accelerated and carried down the tube 12 to the outlet end thereof by the high speed discharge of fluid or liquid from the pipe 30. The column of high speed gas or liquid with the clams disposed therein are then discharged from the outlet end 16 for impacting with the disk 54 and the bellies" of the clams are partially disintegrated upon impact with the panel 54 and separated from the remainder of the clam meats. If the panel 54 is foraminous the separated and partially disintegrated bellies" pass through the disk 54 into the interior of the back side of the housing and drop downward through the discharge neck 62 into the rear compartment of the receptacle 68. The remainder of the clam meat from which the bellies have been extracted does not pass through the foraminated panel 54 and drop downwardly in the housing 36 and out the discharge neck 60 into the front compartment of the receptacle 68. In this manner, the bellies are cleanly separated from the remainder of the clam meats. Of course, the rotating disk 54 serves to wipe any portion of the clam bellies clinging to the rear surface of the disk 54 and any portions of the remainder of the clam meats clinging to the front surface of the disk 54 from the latter as those portions of the disk 54 impacted by the clams swing upward through the top wall 46 of the housing 36. The slot 48 is only slightly wider than the thickness of the disk 54 and accordingly, any portions ofthe clams clinging to either the front or rear sides of the disk 54 are wiped therefrom.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An apparatus for separating the belly of a marine mullusk such as a clam from the remainder of the clam meat, said apparatus including a fluid flow conduit having inlet and outlet end portions, a source of fluid under pressure including a discharge location opening into u n s id surf erneans.

2 The com inatron of claim 1 wherein said surface means is defined by the side of a foraminous panel disposed in axial registry with and transverse to said outlet end portions, the pores of said panel being of sufficient size to allow at least partially broken up bellies of clams to pass through said panel, said pores being sufficiently small to prevent the passage of the remainder of the clam meats impacted with said panel from passing therethrough.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the outlet end portion of said conduit is disposed within a housing including a partition disposed transverse to said outlet end portion and with which the latter is registered, said partition having an opening formed therethrough with which said outlet end is registered, said panel being spaced closely from the side of said partition remote from said outlet end portion.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said panel is mounted for cyclic movement in the plane in which it is disposed and said panel includes portions registered with said outlet end portion throughout the cyclic movement of said panel.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said source of fluid under pressure comprises a source of gas under pressure.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said source of fluid under pressure comprises a source of liquid under pressure.

'7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said inlet end portion includes an upwardly opening inlet 

1. An apparatus for separating the belly of a marine mullusk such as a clam from the remainder of the clam meat, said apparatus including a fluid flow conduit having inlet and outlet end portions, a source of fluid under pressure including a discharge location opening into the inlet end portion of said conduit, means for introducing whole clam meats into said conduit, and impact surface means disposed in axially spaced relation relative to and outwardly of the outlet end portion of said conduit, said surface means being disposed transverse to said outlet end portion and in alignment therewith for impact of the fluid from said conduit and the whole claim meats carried through the conduit upon said surface means.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said surface means is defined by the side of a foraminous panel disposed in axial registry with and transverse to said outlet end portions, the pores of said panel being of sufficient size to allow at least partially broken up bellies of clams to pass through said panel, said pores being sufficiently small to prevent the passage of the remainder of the clam meats impacted with said panel from passing therethrough.
 3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the outlet end portion of said conduit is disposed within a housing including a partition disposed transverse to said outlet end portion and with which the latter is registered, said partition having an opening formed therethrough with which said outlet end is registered, said panel being spaced closely from the side of said partition remote from said outlet end portion.
 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said panel is mounted for cyclic movement in the plane in which it is disposed and said panel includes portions registered with said outlet end portion throughout the cyclic movement of said panel.
 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said source of fluid under pressure comprises a source of gas under pressure.
 6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said source of fluid under pressure comprises a source of liquid under pressure.
 7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said inlet end portion includes an upwardly opening inlet downwardly into which clams may fall by gravity and which opens downwardly into said inlet end portion.
 8. The combination of claim 1 wherein said impact surface means is supported for cyclic movement relative and in a plane transverse to the center axis of the outlet end portion of said conduit and portions of the surface means are disposed in registry with said center axis throughout the cyclic movement of said impact surface means. 